A Very Claymore Christmas
by Soraelna
Summary: What will happen when Miria decides to throw a Christmas party? Slightly AU. Follows the anime-verse. Rated T to be safe. Hinted HelenXDeneve and MiriaXOC
1. The Arrival

Disclaimer: I do not own Claymore or any of its characters. I respect Norihiro Yagi and the wonderful story he has created.

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The first snow of the season had started to fall almost as soon as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, blanketing the region of Calyuun in a white veil that softened the landscape into gentle slopes and valleys. The few small houses the dotted the land were quickly covered with the powdery snow turning them into glittering versions of themselves. A soft glow fell from the windows, flickering subtly with the dancing flames that created the only light that illuminated the night. The moon was hidden behind the heavy, moisture laden clouds, blocking it's light from reaching the world below.

One house stood apart from the rest, hidden just inside of the nearby forest, encircled by thin, tall trees. It was just sturdy enough to stand up under the weight of the snow piling on the roof, and had no markings or decorations that made it stand out. The window in the front of the house was pushed out a bit from the main wall, with a ledge on the inside. Sitting on this ledge was a tall woman with layered pale blond hair, her legs pulled up and her fist resting underneath her chin, every line in her face looking thoroughly bored.

A loud crash sounded from the room adjoined to the front parlor, making the woman jumped up with a start. "Helen, Deneve! What are you doing in there?" She shouted, glaring menacingly in the doorway. The light of the small fire burning in the stone fireplace directly across from the door captured the silver of her eyes, making them shine as if they had their own light.

"Nothing Miria. You don't have to worry about us." Came the reply. Miria sighed and stood up, dusting off the thick black cloak that was draped around her body.

"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about my house." Miria said, silently walking to the room where her guests had no doubt been raiding the cabinets for food. She was rewarded with the sight of empty wrappings and open cabinet doors, the table littered with crumbs. Sitting in one of the light colored wooden chairs was a thin woman of average height with short, almost boyish dark blond hair. She looked innocently at Miria, smiling slightly, her eyes dancing with a rare mood of playfulness.

"What is it Miria?" She asked in a light, airy voice.

"Deneve, where is Helen?" Miria's voice held a note of authority, and Deneve shifted a little under the advanced warrior's fiery silver gaze.

"I have no idea. She just took off. You know how she is, always messing around."

"Yes, and it seems to be rubbing off on you." She glanced around the room, groaning inwardly at the mess. "You know you're going to get sick eating all of this right? You've eaten more than a human usually does, even split between the two of you."

"It's Christmas, remember? We're supposed to eat more than usual. Just because we're not human it doesn't mean we can't have fun. Come on, Miria, you're the one who wanted to have this party." Deneve said, standing up to rest a hand on Miria's shoulder. "Have some fun."

"You're right, and I will. After I find Helen. I don't want her to cause an uproar and alert the Organization to our presence. This village has yet to be touched by the Yoma."

"Of course. If it's any help, she went out back." Deneve said, gesturing to the door behind her.

"In this weather? I know the cold doesn't effect us like it does humans, but still…" She mused.

"Fun, Miria, remember? She'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, you stay here." She said, standing straight as her voice gained more authority. "I'm expecting more guests, so watch for them. I'll be right back and if I don't find her right away-"

Her voice was cut off by a sudden pounding on the front door. "Maybe that's her." Deneve said, trying to peer through the frosted glass window that rested on the upper half of the door.

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A/N: Sorry about the abrupt end. I was very tired and couldn't write well enough for it to be publishable. ^^ Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this rather short beginning. I won't beg for reviews, but they are nice to get every once in a while.


	2. Newcomers and Snowballs

Disclaimer: I do not own Claymore or any of its characters. If I did, Clare would have stomped Raki in the face and tied him to a tree somewhere to be picked clean by Yoma.

Iriel, however, does belong to me. So no stealing, or you'll have my armies of crows and cats to deal with. Nowhere will be safe to hide.

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The knocking continued, becoming more insistent as Miria advanced on the door, grumbling something about canceling the party under her breath. She roughly seized the silver colored door handle, throwing open the oaken door, not bothered by the rush of cold air that invaded the house. She drew in a sharp breath, ready to yell at the mischievous warrior who had left a mess in her house and disappeared.

"Helen! How many times must I remind you that-" Her tirade was cut short at the sight of the figure standing in the doorway, covered head to toe with a hooded black robe. Its face was covered by a white mask in the shape of a cat, painted with violet and green swirls. A crescent moon adorned the forehead of the mask, painted on with black ink. Miria stared for a few seconds, her mouth still slightly agape, then smiled and threw her arms around the figure, careful not to crush her face on the mask.

"Iriel! Where have you been? I was worried that you wouldn't make it." Miria said, backing away. With a soft chuckle, Iriel raised a hand and removed the mask, shoving off the hood and shaking out her long, raven black hair in one sweeping motion. Her left eye was a deep violet, while her right was the color of an emerald.

"I'm sorry, Miria, but I got held up by my duties. You know how that goes." She leaned down to whisper in Miria's ear. "The goddesses are catching on. I need to be more careful, you see. But anyway, don't let it bother you. This is a time of celebration! Let's enjoy the peace while it lasts, yeah?" She had just straightened up, smiling warmly, when her body suddenly went rigid and she narrowed her eyes. She ducked, just fast enough to dodge a wet ball of snow as it came sailing towards them.

Miria, clueless as to why her friend was now kneeling in front of her, could only stand there as the snowball hit her square in the face with enough force to make her stumble back a few paces. There was a sudden squeal of laughter from the surrounding forest as Miria wiped off her face and glared menacingly outside. Iriel smirked and stood to the side, waving her arms towards the laughter in an exaggerated sign for Miria to go search out her attacker.

Miria growled under her breath, stomping down the stairs, her eyes fixated on the area where the laughter was coming from. She stooped down and picked up a stick that was half buried in the ankle deep snow, just thick enough to survive a few hits to someone's head.

The snow got deeper as Miria approached the forest, building up as the wind blew it in the direction of the trees, and the laughter slowed down, turning into short bursts followed by sniggering, as if it was being forced into silence. Miria's ears, however, were more than capable of picking out the soft sounds, and she located the tree behind which the person responsible was hiding. She raised the stick, then slammed it soundly against the trunk of the tree, smiling in dark satisfaction when a figure jumped up in surprise.

"Hello, Helen." Miria said flatly, slapping the stick threateningly in her hand.

"Oh, hey Miria. I was just, uhh, coming back to your house." Helen said, running a hand through her tapering blonde hair, dislodging the snow that had clumped into it.

"Where did you go?"

"Into the village. I wanted to see if I could find a gift. For Deneve. We've been dating, you know."

"So I've noticed." Miria said, remembering her first encounter with the pair after they had split up two years ago in the aftermath of the fight with the awakened Pricilla. She had been passing through the town where Helen and Deneve were staying, and decided to pay them an unexpected visit. She walked in without knocking, and was shocked when she saw the two in a less than flattering position.

"Yeah, we're still sorry about forgetting to lock the door…" Helen mumbled, mind in the past. "So I'll just be going now, hmm?" She snapped back to the present and tried to brush passed Miria.

"Hold it." Miria shot out the hand that wasn't wrapped firmly around the stick, barring the way of the younger girl. "Where's the gift then?"

"I couldn't find anything. It's, umm, a small village. Not a very big selection."

"Uh, huh. Why are you here in the forest then? And what about the laughing?"

"I wanted to see if I could find anything out here to give to her. A pretty rock or something. And I just felt like laughing. It's a good day, yeah?" She said, smiling.

"I don't buy it for a moment, Helen. You threw that snowball at me didn't you?" Miria said, raising the stick.

Helen flinched. "Not at _you_ no."

Miria raised her eyebrows. "So you meant to hit Iriel instead, is that it?"

"N-no, not at all. I knew she would duck. I thought you would too, but then you didn't and…" Her voice trailed off.

Miria sighed and relaxed her arm, letting the stick fall harmlessly to the ground. "Come on, let's go back. You're hardly dressed to be out in this." She said, tightening the cloak draped around her shoulders.

"Wow, Miria, you really had me there!" Helen said, returning to her usual jovial self once she sensed that the danger was over. She followed her companion back to her house. "I thought you were going to let me have it with that stick for sure!"

"I don't like to resort to that kind of animalistic behavior if I can help it. Just watch yourself next time." Miria said, setting a brisk pace. She was anxious to get back and catch up with her old friend. Which reminded her…

"Oh, and Helen?"

"Yes?"

_**Whack! **_With the speed known only to a Claymore, Miria punched Helen square in the jaw.

"Don't you even _pretend_ to do anything to Iriel ever again. Got it?"

"Yes, Miria." Helen answered, nursing her sore jaw.

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Authors Note: So, another chapter up! It's been a while since the holidays, so this is losing its charm really quickly. For me at least. But stick with me! I'll get it done as soon as I can.

I'm going to have to leave you in the dark about Iriel for a bit. Just know that she is, indeed, _my _originalcharacter. I plan to use her in another fic of mine at some point.

I hope you are enjoying this so far! It's been fun to write, though I'm a little disappointed in myself quality wise. I know I can do better.

~Soraelna


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